Shadow Of The Past
by Lord Noctis
Summary: Years ago, before the fall of Sephiroth, Hojo had another experiment. A man who is nearly impossible to kill. A man who seeks revenge for the wrongs done to him. Now Cloud and the others must gather once more to face this latest threat. Pleas R
1. Prolouge

**FINAL FANTASY VII**

**SHADOW OF THE PAST**

Prolouge

The truth was an illusion. Shinra was dead but its legacy continued to torment the planet. First had come Sephiroth in all his horrible power. The burning of Nibelheim, the killing of the last ancient. The summoning of Meteor and Geostigma. The

horror he inflicted upon those who had once trusted him. The way he had mockingly toyed with Cloud, purpousely putting himself in weak stances and using weak grips just to prove his superiorty as a swordsman.

Then came the war against deep ground, a super military formed by the late president Shinra. Led by the feirce and incredibly powerful Tsviets they shattered the town of Kalm and invaded Wutai. Their armies sprayed bullets and missles

upon the WRO, an orginization dedicated to defending the planet from those who sought to harm it. The rise of Omega, an ascension that nearly ended all life on the planet. The terrible pollution that surrounded Midgar, and the lifeless

wastelands and horribly mutated monsters. Genetic esperiments and the horrors of Jenova's attempt to take the planet for herself. All of these came from the same source, Professor Hojo. Head of the Shinra science department and a

maniac.

These threats were all met head on, and defeated as many times as was needed to keep them down. But can one really be sure that there is no longer any danger to the planet. There is always danger, the same way a human always faces

danger no matter who he or she is, or what background they have. The danger can come in many forms, a virus, an infected wound. Maybe someone will murder this person, or maybe they will be struck by lightning. Lightning may not pose a

threat to the planet, but there are quite a few things that do. Meteor's, such diseases as Geostigma controlled from beyond the lifestream by a malevolant force. Just as a person always faces danger from one source or another, so to does the planet. Victor Scathe sat in the back of the truck as it rumbled along, bumping over rocks pits and whatever else happened to be lying around. The truck's engine roared loudly and the noise echoed through the forest as they drove. The

interior of the truck was far from being a pleasant place to be. Dust coated the floor walls and ceiling, all of which were a bland grey color. They were a cold hard metal which had lost any shine it may have had long ago. Now they

were coated with dust and dried blood, the blood of those who had died in the war which presently plagued the land, a war that came years before the threat of Sephiroth, or deep ground. A war that came before the terror of Omega and

Jenova. Before Geostigma. The Wutai war.

The engine rumbled with a slight grinding sound that said rather plainly, need brake fluid. The inside of the truck stank of vomit and blood. The blankets were full of holes and were thin from use, covered in dust and lice that crawled into the

hair of anyone stupid enough to use the blanket. Most people learned to go without a blanket on the first night. The floor was made of wood metal, cold and lumpy. Still this was far better than they could expect once they reached

the frontline, Victor knew. Victor was a twenty-eight year old man and sat back in the cargo space crammed in with his comrades in arms. To his right sat second class SOLDIER, Vir Alto. Vir wore the traditional SOLDIER uniform,

which consisted of a dark blue shir with leather straps going up either side and crossing over the back, dark blue pants with leather combat boots. Steel shoulder gaurds rested on either shoulder providing protection from falls bullets and swords.

Across his back was a demonic looking longsword, a dark rustic color with a testure that seemed lumpy in an intimidating kind of way. He was roughly six feet tall with charcoal black hair that had been cut short, he sported brown eyes that

almost seemed to glowed in the dark cramped space. This glow was a part of the secret to SOLDIER's strength. It was a result of Mako infusions, which granted speed, strength, endurance, eyesight, hearing, and reflexes far beyond that of a normal human. The only none Mako enhanced people on the planet who could face SOLDIER's in one on one combat and have a fair chance of winning were the Wutain's.

Vir was only seventeen, but was still among the most elite warriors on the planet. Laying on the floor being careful to keep his distance from the blanket, was Kenson Milldon. Kenson was an MP. MP stood for Military Police. MP's while tough

were no match for even low ranking members of SOLDIER. Kenson had green eyes which did not glow at all, due to the fact he had not been infused with Mako. He had wavy strawberry blond hair, and wore the MP uniform, which was more

or less a SOLDIER uniform, only with a helmet with an auto-targeting system and nightvision goggles built in, and leather pants. A Shinra standard issue pistol rested on each of his hips, and he had layed his assault rifle on the ground next

to him.

Another MP who Victor did not know sat up front driving the vheicle. Victor wore a SOLDIER uniform and had dark brown hair that was a sries of downward angled spikes that reached just below his shoulder. His eyes were a stunning orange

that glowed with the light of Mako infusion. Victor however was no normal SOLDIER. He was a SOLDIER: First class. First class was the envy of the world. The most elite fighters in the world, capable of jumping twenty-thirty feet, and taking

blows that would kill or incapacitate a normal human, and keep on fighting.

"Agh, how much longer are we going to be in this damn truck!? We've been here nonstop for two days now!" Vir asked loudly. Victor looked at him and considered replying, but decided against it on the grounds that Vir would only get louder if

he knew the anwser to that question. Vir looked between Victor and Kenson for a moment with an expectent look on his face. "I mean i know Sephiroth needs help on the front line and all that! But why did he have to pick a unit that was so

far away from the front? Well? Helloooooooooooo. Anybody listening or have you all suddenly gone deaf?" Kenson must have fallen asleep during Vir's little rant as he was now snoring, loudly. Victor leaned back feeling the shifting weight of

the two katanas that were sheathed across his back in the shape of an x.

He had been working with Vir and Kenson for about a month now, and had become used to Vir going into a rant every hour or so over how unfair this whole thing was. Of course it was unfair. It was a war for crying out loud. What did Vir expect.

A nice fun little vacation. That would have been nice Victor had to admit. But war was'nt nice. Never had been, never would be.

Vir sighed and leaned back as he realized he was being ignored. He wiped his forehead with the back of one gloved hand. That was another thing about their current situation, it got really hot in this part of the world. Even at night. In Midgar it was cold both at day and night. A result of the large green smog that had formed above it as a result of the Mako reactors Shinra had set up. "We were picked because we were the only unit containing two members of SOLDIER, and because

we were closer than everyone else." Victor said without looking up. He had once been freindly and out going, but this war had changed him. He was still freindly, but more closed off. It was another thing about war that made it unfair.

Suddenly came a soft pitter pattering on the roof, almost like rain. Victor moved to the front and looked out into the night and frowned, his muscles tensing. He reached for his swords and said calmly and quietly "Enemies on the roof." It may

have sounded like it was raining, but a quick look out the front window confirmed that it was'nt. Suddenly the left side of the truck bent inwards fast and sharply with a the sound of something smashing into the truck and the tortured groan of

twisting metal. The truck flipped onto its side with a crash throwing it occupants onto the right wall, which had now become the floor. Victor pushed his foot onto the ground and kicked off smashing through the side of the truck with Vir

following only a second behind. They were surrounded on all sides by trees and plant life which they could see in the night only because of their Mako enhanced vision. A wutai soldier sailed through the air at him with a spear poised for attack, only to be dissapointed as Victor ducked beneath the thrust, then dashed forth slashing with both swords like an x slicing the warrior in two. Then Victor turned in mid-air deflecting several incoming shurikans off to the side before landing in

a crouch as Vir swung his sword overhead at another enemy.

Victor turned to see an enemy with a large orientel sword charging him. Victor narrowed his eyes and caught the attack by crossing his swords in an x. Then he went into a back flip raising his feet towards his enemies chin, but he ducked under it and swung his blade in a deadly arc for the side of Victor's head. Victor moved one of his feet back raising his right hand and blocking the blow as he ducked low, then lunged forward with a rising slash of his left sword but the

Wutai warrior half turned allowing the blade to fly by. Victor carried through with another step moving by his opponent and turning to parry an incoming slash. The blades met with the ring of steel on steel and a spray of sparks. "ENOUGH!!!" Victor roared, then jumped through the air flipping over his adversaries head and bringing his blade up towards him, and decapitating his enemy at the same time. He turned towards a whisteling sound, and caught a spear in the chest that

tore through his heart and sent him flying onto the ground. The last thing he saw before blacking out was the person who had thrown the spear get cut down from behind by Vir.

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Hojo looked at the dead First class as he was wheeled through the hall towards the morg. Hojo was dressed in a white lab coat that was buttoned up, and wearing glasses. He was wearing his black hair tied back in a pony tail. His typicall observant and somewhat insane look on his face. Standing behind him and slightly off to the side was the rounded President Shinra. Shinra had blond hair and a mustache, and was wearing a red buisness suit. They were standing in a white

polished hallway on the twenty-second floor of the Shinra HQ. The medical floor, where the injured were given treatment, and the dead were preped for burial. Hojo shifted his eyes onto the file containing all the information on this casualty.

The file read as follows.

Name:Victor Scathe

Age:27

Gender:Male

Hometown:Mideel

Education:Attended pre-school in hometown, showed excellent memory and fantastic hand-eye coordination. Later moved to Shinra highschool in Midgar. Past all tests with flying color's and signed onto the Shinra military. Completed MP

training and applied for SOLDIER. Passed SOLDIER exam at age of twenty-one. Made First class two years later.

Hojo lifted his eyes from the file onto the corpse which had been stopped in front of him. "Hmm, most interesting. He passes the requirements for the M-Warrior project, including being dead, yes this is quite good. Mr.President, i beleive this

is the one. He posseses the necessary strength and Mako enhancement. Though i must wonder how he will react when all is said and done, does he have a history of voilence? Off the battlefeild of course." Hojo said thoughtfuly.

For awhile now he had been waiting for a specimen for his latest project, a secret project that only he and the President knew about. Hojo had first gained the urge to preform this experiment while preforming research into the funtion of restorative Materia. He had begun to wonder what the effect would be if an exceptional specimen would be if he were to have Materia installed inside of him after death. But it was difficult, he wanted a First class SOLDIER as a specimen, but

even in this time of war they died very rarely.

However, Hojo finally had the specimen he had been looking for, and only needed the President's permission to proceed.

"I give you my full permission Professor. I to am curious as to what your results will be. Begin whenever it is convenient." Shinra said. Hojo smirked and walked off. Shinra watched him go until he rounded the corner at the end of the hall.

Then he turned to the doctor wheeling the cart and said "Be sure to get that up to Hojo's lab." The doctor nodded, then paused to push up one of his overly long bangs. Shinra narrowed his eyes and said "And get a hair cut."

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Victor looked around himself but could see nothing, only a deep darkness that seemed to penetrate his very soul. He went to speak but was unable, panic tried to spring up but he pushed it down and allowed calmness to flow through him.

He focused hard on his surroundings, and after a time he began to hear faint whispering, though it was impossible to make out. He turned looking in all directions as he blankly wondered to himself _"Am I dead? That makes sense, i did take a spear through the heart. Huh? Whats that?" _A green light had become visible in the distance, dim at first but getting brighter over time. He felt compelled to move towards this light, but his training told him to be cautious. Take some time

to try and make sense of things, take everything into account. Then take action. However after about five minutes Victor was still unable to think of anything else, so he shrugged and began moving towards the light. For some reason he felt none of the aprehension he had expected he would be feeling, instead just a feeling of peace. He quickly realized that the closer he got to the light the more at peace he felt. It made no sense, but soon he did'nt care. He just wanted into

this light. If it felt this peaceful from a distance, then how peaceful must it be inside.But something was pulling him back and away from the light. Uncontrolable fear washed through him in waves. _"NO! Let me go! I DO"NT WANT TO GO BACK!!!!!!" _

His eyes opened slowly but quickly snapped close again as a rush of light met his pupil. A million thoughts were racing through his head. The last thing he remembered he had been fighting against Wutai warriors who had ambushed their truck.

He tried hard to think of anything else, but there was nothing. He groaned as he opened his eyes again, and was not really all that suprised when all he could see was colors and blurs. "Ah, you're awake. Good! Success! I WAS RIGHT!!!"

Said a high-pitched and definetely insane voice.

Victor turned towards the voice and was able to distinguish a white blur with splotches of black at the top. Must be someones hair. "You are probably wondering what is going on. Well i'll tell you. The truck you were in was ambushed by Enemy troops and you were killed. Confused? I brought you back you see, by placing a special Materia i've been working on in your chest. Right next to your heart in fact. Only a scientest of my calliber could ever have thought of something so brilliant

as that!" Victor tried to process this information as the persons rave turned into an insane cackle. He was unable to wrap his mind around this information so he pushed it to the back of his head.

He gathered his strength and tried to sit, but was too weak. Victor grunted in displeasure. "Hey, when can i go back on duty? Unless the war has ended i think my services will be more needed on the battlefeild than listening to your insane raving." Victor said impatiently.

The cackling stoped much to Victor's releif. He had been getting very sick of it. His vision seemed to be getting better, he could now make out the insane persons shape and even could see that he was wearing a pair of rather unstylish glasses.

"How disrespectful! You will refer to me as Professor Hojo, at all times! Do you understand?!" Hojo raged. Victor tuned him out and instead looked around for his swords, fully intending to dissembowl Hojo just for sounding so annoying. "Your not even listening to me! You owe me your life you miserable cretin!!" Hojo ranted on and on, and Victor ignored him as his eyesight finally returned to normal. After a minute Hojo finally anwsered the question with "You will no longer be working

in SOLDIER. You are above that now. You are now in my service, and i have a special mision for you. I want you to head to Nibelheim and go to the Mako reactor their. Then i want you to open one of the valves in the room of pods, then head straight back to me."

Victor narrowed his eyes. "What makes you think i'll follow your orders? You have'nt given me any good reasons yet, and i'm not gonna work for you just because you say i have to." Victor said angrily.

Hojo smirked as he said "I know you will obey my orders because i have implanted into your head a microchip that makes you obedient to me. You will be unable to refuse my orders, also i order you to never attempt to kill me." With that last

bit Hojo handed Victor his Katanas, which he quickly strapped across his back in the shape of an x. "Now go do as your told!" Hojo demanded. Victor walked forward unable to resist the command.

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The next few days were very reveiling to Victor. He quickly discovered what Hojo had meant when he said special Materia. Victor had found that his physical power had increased greatly, which meant there was a strength plus Materia.

He also noted he had been moving much faster than normal, so fast that a normal human could'nt even see him move. Plus he could switch his vision into slow motion, giving him more time to observe other peoples movements. A time Materia had probably been used to gain those effects. Plus there was the fact he had been revive from the dead, which meant there was a life Materia in there too. Normally a life spell would bring someone back from the brink of death, not death itself.

But it was possible that having it right next to his heart might have increased its effect. Either way it mad suicide impossible. All of this told Victor that Hojo had mixed several Materia together, then stuck it in his chest.

He reached Nibelheim by swimming, which no longer held risk for him. Drowning was impossible with the Materia in his chest. He was just now finishing with the valve, feeling along his neck for anything that should'nt be there. He finished with the valve and stood to leave, franticaly searching for any sign of the microchip. "Come on damnit." He snarled. Then he found it, just behind his right ear. He smirked to himself as he pinched the object that should'nt be there and ripped it out

with a small spurt of blood. He groaned in pain as he dropped the object to the floor. He lost sight of it, but he knew it was the chip. He knew because he no longer felt the urge to obey Hojo. Suddenly he dropped to his knees as a memory surfaced, a memory of a green light. And with that memory, came hate.


	2. Chapter 1

**FINAL FANTASY VII**

**SHADOW OF THE PAST**

Chapter One

The Nibel Mountains were a series of tall jutting spikes, lifeless except for the wolves that hunted in packs. Nibel wolves were far more feirce than other wolves and tended to travel in greater packs. The mountains were made of cold bare grey

rock with thin layers of snow on the very top. The inside of the mountains were like a beehive of caves inhabited by odd purple creatures. They were littered with Mako fountains, though it was nearly impossible to find them. The reactor stood in a sort of cauldron in the rock on the side of the mountain. The room in which Victor was crouching was filled with a dim red light. Industrial stairs went up the middle of the room leading to a door with the word Jenova above it.

On either side of the door were three rows of pods, three pods in each row with glass veiw holes towards the top. None of this interested Victor, who slowly stood with a furious look on his face. He felt cheated. He remembered the peace he had felt in that light. It had been almost perfect, no other experience in his life even came close. He had been in heaven, or at least the closest thing to it. But that cursed Hojo had taken it all away from him! Victor whirled around with a yell of

rage and slammed his fist into the wall.

The wall was made of a mixture of steel, and mythril. Victor's fist went right through it sending vibrations through the walls floor and ceiling, creating a loud ringing sound.

Rage poured through his veins like blood, adrenaline flooded through him. The metal had been forced apart, twisting outwards from his fist into the next chamber in sharp dangerous looking strips that cut into his hand causing blood to pour from

out and onto the floor. For several long moments he stood there, breathing heavily as the adrenaline rush slowly faded. "Damnit!" He snarled as he retracted his hand slowly, an enraged look on his face, mixed with longing. He wanted to go back, to experience that incredible peace once more. But he could'nt could he? Not with that Materia in his chest keeping him alive. He resolved then, resolved to kill Hojo. What else was there to do? "Hojo, you have taken away from me the greatest

of all things. I know you. You will die for what you've done to me! YOU WILL ROT FOR ETERNITY IN HELL FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Victor roared in a rage, his fists clenched so tightly that he was drawing his own blood. It ran down his fingers and dripped to the floor. He whirled and rushed out of the reactor with frenzied screams of rage and hatred. He dashed down the side of the mountain running for two hours down the paths and through the caves not stopping once.

He reached the base of the mountain and made a straight run for the ocean, he moved so fast that a normal human would never see him. He reached the shore in five hours and jumped into the water, moving so fast that he left a bluish blur of

himself behind. The water sprayed up behind him wildly as he swam for miles. He swam straight for Midgar with only one thing on his mind. Revenge.

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Shinra HQ stood eighty stories tall with the President on the top floor. Hojo resided in his lab on the sixty-fifth floor, going through the results of his latest project. Failure was the only word to describe it, all the subjects had died. None of them

had shown any of the signs he had wanted to see, in other words, failure.

His two body-gaurds were lounging about in a bored manner. There really was'nt anything to do in Hojo's lab except stay the hell out of the way, or become the next poor bloke to be experimented upon. They were both second class SOLDIER's

by the names of Trenton, and Alex. Trenton had messy black hair with a bluish shimmer, and blue Mako eyes. He wore the SOLDIER uniform, and was twenty years old. A large scimitar was strapped across his back and he stood at 5.8. Alex stood at 6.2, had brown hair cut short, and green Mako eyes. He to wore the uniform. A thick lance like sword rested on his back. The lab itself had polished white walls and a white tiled floor, and was filled with crates and large glass tubes

that looked as if they should hold a human within.

A desk rested off in the corner. That was Hojo's desk. Odd tubes filled with various liquids and chemicals had been carefully placed in vial holders. From black to white the liquids ranged in color. Some were were transluscent, others were not.

Some were transperant, others were not. An odd smell filled the lab, like a cross between window cleaner and burnt cooking. Off to the side was a booth used to operate the bigger peices of machinery in the room. It was an eery place, unwelcoming down to the smallest molecule hovering through the air. In fact for those who did not work there on a daily basis, it almost felt dangerous, agressive. Some blamed this on all the genetic experimentation on living animals, and people. No, it was not a freindly place, and nobody in their right mind would lable it such. Hojo however loved this room, not as much as he loved his experiments. Those were the only things he truly liked. This room was the only place where

he felt comfortable.

He was in control here. No one did so much as breath here without his verbaly expressed permission, which he usually gave unless he was in a less than perfect mood. He mumbled incomprehensible sentences as he once again looked over

the results. The subject this time had been an MP unfortunate enough to have knocked Hojo down. It had been an accident of course, but Hojo did'nt care. It had been a newer recruit named Johny. A young man of seventeen with auburn hair and brown eyes.

He had been a nervous person and just barely barely passed the required training to become an MP. He had some freinds, though none of them worked for Shinra, and a family in Kalm. The experiment itself had been to discover the effect of

mixing certain chemicals with Mako before infusing it into a living being. Hojo had first selected the chemicals that he beleived would get the best results, then spent hours trying to decide on the dose he should use. Then he had done the same with the Mako, being careful not too put in to little, or to much. However despite his careful measurements, the subject died in a fit of hysterical insanity. A shame.

He was'nt really that interested in that experiment, which was why he had'nt gone to find another clumsy, and disposable, employee. It was just a way to keep the President from snooping around in Hojo's buisness. As long as Hojo seemed busy, the President would leave him alone. Which greatly reduced the chances of his discovering Hojo's success with Victor. Hojo had told the President Victor had been a failure. That way Hojo could use Victor's new power to his own

ends. The president would probably have Hojo executed if he ever found out. Speaking of Victor, Hojo was expecting him back soon. He had no doubt that the microchip would keep Victor obedient for as long as he needed. Still, Hojo had his doubts, it was possible that Victor might have found and removed the chip. "Maybe i should have ordered him to never try to find the chip. Then i would'nt have to worry about it anymore. I'll be sure to take care of it when he returns."

Hojo muttered with a thoughtful look on his face. The possibility of the chip having been removed was the reason Hojo had decided to actually accept his assigned bodygaurds services today.

"Did you say something Professor?" Alex asked nervously. Hojo said nothing but thought about using Alex to continue his experiment just for interupting his thoughts.

Alex eyed the back of the professors head for a moment, then turned back to lounging about. The relationship here was simple. If Hojo wanted them to do something they followed his orders to the letter. If Hojo did not want them to do anything

they kept out of his way and talked amongst each other until Hojo did want them to do something. Which was never. Little did they know that they were in great danger.

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Midgar, the heart of Shinra. The home of their leaders and officials. The home of SOLDIER and the Turks. It was nearly ten miles across and slowly expanding. Victor walked through it observing his surroundings carefuly. Normally a member of

SOLDIER would have nothing to fear here. But as Hojo had said, he was no longer a SOLDIER even if he did wear the uniform. He sniffed the cool night air, it smelled clean and crisp. But the air above Midgar was not clean, far from it. It was polluted as a result of Shinra's Mako reactors. It had been Victor's home for several years, and for a breif moment he allowed the feeling of it flow through him. The wonderful feeling of being home. He inhaled taking in the cool air and all the scents greedily. Then exhaled in pleasure, for a moment he forgot why he was here. He forgot his hate and thirst for revenge as he allowed the feeling of knowing you are where you belong to flow through him. But then he remembered that place

beyond life where the feeling of peace was infinite. With that memory came a renewed hatred for Hojo and a reborn desire for revenge! He walked forward with a feirce determination and an unshakeble resolve. His face hardened into an emotionless mask, but inside he was seething with a hate far beyond what he had beleived was even possible.

Then he became aware of it. Someone was following him, and based on the vibes Victor was getting the stalker did not have freindly intentions. He turned off into an alley continuing to walk through a maze of twisting turns, then stopped and

turned to face his stalker. The person was revealed to be a male standing at 6.1 with fiery red hair and pale green eyes. He was dressed in baggy cloth pants and a tattered dark green shirt that was too long. What caught Victor's eye was the tattered brown travelling cloak draped over the mans shoulders, and the gun he was pointing right at Victor's face. The man had a very pale complexion. He smirked in the manner of someone who was on the brink of insanity. "Alright, you got

one chance eh? You give me all your money, and them swords too. Yeah, i like those. Give it to me, or i'll blow your frickin brains out!" The stalker said in a very hyper tone. Like someone right in the middle of a major sugar/caffine rush who had had one to many beers. Victor smirked at this man, this would be a good chance to vent a litle stress.

"No, i think i'll keep my money and my swords too. So unless you think you can take me i suggest you put that gun away and head on out of here before you get hurt." Victor said in a menacing tone. The reply was what Victor had expected. The

gun was fired and the bullet flew at him. But to Victor it was slow. He watched the bullet as it creeped towards him in slow motion. It moved maybe a foot every few seconds, at least thats how it seemed to Victor. He frowned as he realized the shot was'nt even going for his head. It was heading for his left shoulder. A smile crept across his face as he turned his left shoulder back and watched the bullet pass by from the corner of his eye. Then things went back to real time and Victor

turned to face stalker with a dangerous look in his eyes as the bullet punched through the wall behind him.

"What the!? Thats impossible nobody is that fast!!" Said stalker in a panic as he stumbled back. Victor took a step forward. Stalker yelled out in fright and turned to run, but in the time it took him to turn, Victor ran passed him a few feet and turned to face him with an amused smile on his face.

Victor nearly laughed as stalker fell backwards onto the ground and urinated in his pants. Victor drew one of his katanas and pointed it down at stalker and threateningly said "All right, heres the deal. You give me that cloak of your's, and i let you

live. If not..." Victor let the sentence hang in the air. Stalker pulled off his cloak amazingly fast and threw it to Victor before turning tale and running as fast as his legs would carry him. Victor ignored the retreating theif and put on the cloak, clasping it in front of him. "Stupid moron, thought he could rob me. Heh, a pathetic attempt." With that he left the alley and resumed his walk to the train station. He walked into the station, a large spacious place crowded full of people going

to and from work. Cement floor and metal rails were the only thing there other than the large somewhat bulky trains. Victor wordlessly snuck onto the train that would take him to the Shinra building. He still had work to do.

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What was to follow would always be considered a failure by Victor. He arrived at the Shinra building and began to climb up the side at an incredible pace. There was a window on Hojo's floor, which was what Victor planned to use to go inside.

The building was a series of floors each with its own windows, which meant there was a series of ledges to climb on the outside. Most people looking to infiltrate this building refused to use this path due to the danger of falling. Victor was not concerned about this as he knew the fall posed no threat to him. He mentally counted off the stories as he climbed. _"42, 43, 44, 45..."_ The count continued as he climbed higher and higher. He felt the wind blowing through his hair and breifly

wondered why revenge was really so important. Did it actually contribute anything to society? No, no it did not. But it would subtly effect the world would'nt it? Yes, yes it would. Those inhumane experiments that Hojo was so fond of would end with his life. _"64, 65." _He had arrived. He paused taking in the veiw. He could see all of Midgar from here, and he enjoyed the feeling of the wind whipping around his cloak and hair. He just hung there for a moment enjoying the fresh air.

He wanted to remember this moment for the rest of his life, because he knew this was the most peaceful he would feel until he returned to that light beyond life itself.

It was ironic, he decided. Ironic that on the verge of revenge he felt more peaceful than he ever had in his life. He did not count the light, as he had been dead when he had encountered that. However, he knew he could'nt stay here forever. The

time had come. He sprang through the window shattering it and going into a roll that carried him to his feet even as he drew his katanas and raised them into a battle ready stance. Gasps reached his ears as he raised his eyes, watching those before him in slow motion. He frowned as he noticed the two SOLDIER's in the room, their hands already half way to their swords and their knees flexing for an attack. It would seem that Hojo had gotten some protection since Victor had left.

He would have to deal with them before he could get at Hojo. He recognized both Trenton and Alex. He had met them in the barracks a few months before his death. Trenton lifted off the ground moving about a foot a second in Victor's vision. Victor smirked as he sprang forward to meet him, swinging his two blades inwards from the side. The three swords crossed as Trenton brought his blade down in an overhead ark, sparks flew as Victor forced his way through Trenton's gaurd

then swung again, but Trenton jumped above the strike and Alex rushed in with a thrust which Victor turned aside with a spinning parry. He quickly raised his right sword over his head stopping Trenton's sword easily, then snapped his foot up and into Alex's stomache as he tried a back attack. Alex cried out as he was thrown backwards and crashed into the wall hard enough to leave a dent. Victor then smirked as he brought his other sword in from the side towards Trenton's chest.

However Trenton shifted his grip and bent his knees catching the hit, then shoved against Victor with all his might intending to throw him backwards. Victor shoved back forcing Trenton to go from offensive shoving, to defensive shoving.

"Who the hell are you!?" Trenton asked in alarm.

Victor gave a frightening smile as he replied "I'm here for my revenge, Hojo will die by my hand, as will those who try to stop me." Victor heard a whistle in the air behind him and ducked moving off to the side as Alex swung his sword hard.

"Nice try, but i thought a pair of SOLDIER's would be better than that. Unless you two are holding out on me, eh?" The taunt had the desired effect, both men charged him, but it was'nt a reckless assualt, not by a longshot. Alex swung hard at Victor's head only meet him blade to blade. Trenton took this chance to move behind him. Victor swung his spare katana at him as he passed by but Trenton blocked it before spinning full circle with a slash of his own, which was blocked by

Victor. Instantly the two SOLDIER's broke off and lunged in at different angles, but Victor had had enough. He stopped moving at normal speed and went into what he called fast mode, moving away from them before they could complete their strikes.

While that was going on Hojo rushed to his desk and jammed his finger against the security button. He turned his head to see Victor toying around with the two SOLDIER's. He would let them get close and get half way through a strike, then

dash away easily avoiding the hit while niking them on the arm or face. Hojo knew what he was doing. He was trying to intimidate the two men and scare them off so he would'nt have to kill them. It was'nt working. They may have been weak in comparison to Victor, but they were very dedicated to their orders.

Trenton rushed in with a slash. Victor ducked beneath it and swung his left sword up, slashing Trenton across the throat. The SOLDIER fell back with a gurgle as his blood spattered onto the floor. "NOOOO!!!!! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!!!"

Alex roared in a fury as he dashed forward with a slash. Victor sidestepped it and Alex followed with another strike which Victor flipped over, moving so quickly that Alex could'nt even track his movements. He could see Victor move, but he could'nt tell what part of him was moving or when. The sword swung around once more slicing through the blur left behind by Victor's movements. Victor then frowned as he stabbed Alex through the heart, then flung him out the window.

Victor slowly turned towards Hojo with a dark look on his face. "Your time is up Hojo." He said threateningly. He prepared to jump, when the door sprang open and five MPs dashed in aiming their rifles at him. He was already in the air when they

opened fire, so he could'nt dodge to the side. He was hammered by a spray of bullets which threw him backwards out the window with blood trailing behind him. He fell down towards the ground.

This is how the threat is born, a wrong doing or mistreatment. Someone losing something. In this case it is all three. Victor fell and hit the ground so hard that he left an impact crater, but when the security team arrived he was long gone. Not dead. But somewhere on the planet immersed in his seething rage. He would not be seen again for nine years.


	3. Chapter 2

**FINAL FANTASY VII**

**SHADOW OF THE PAST**

Chapter Two

Time is an odd thing. It passes quickly when we wish it to slow down, and passes slowly when we wish it to go quickly. Yet no matter how quickly it seems to pass we seem to get just as much done. It is an odd thing. Nine years can either

pass slowly, or quickly, as is the case with any measure of time. Emotion is another thing of endless weirdness. You can be consumed by hate in an instant as Victor was, or slowly. You can find yourself in high spirits at a time when all others despair. Some say that only humans have the capacity for emotion. Others disagree. What relevance does this have to the story of Victor, you may ask. That depends a great deal on how you veiw it. Still, you do'nt want to hear a

teenager's philosophy. You want to hear the story.

Cloud Strife was a man who could be either complex, or simple, all depending on how you veiwed him. Many consider him to be a hero. He would disagree, and say he just did what he had to. He hated being in the spotlight and was very antisocial. To those who did not know him he came off as cold, and uncaring. This simply was not the case, he just was'nt one to make freinds every time he went outside. He stood at 5.7 and had spiky blond hair, and Mako blue eyes.

His hair blew in the wind as did the gothic half-cape on his right side, attached to his old SOLDIER uniform which was missing its right shoulder gaurd. He was riding his motorcycle, Fenrir towards Kalm on buisness. He was something of a deilivery boy now days. For a price he would deliver almost any package anywhere, though he did have certain moral restrictions on what he would transport. Fenrir was a unique motorcycle, capable of moving at two-hundred miles an hour.

It also had concealed compartments that held his eight swords, which could mix together to make bigger, stronger swords. Cloud listened to the roar of Fenrir as he drove through the wastelands surrounding Midgar and Edge. The wastelands were a series of cliffs and tall natural pillars of rock, that jutted high above the ground.

Cloud loved the feeling of the wind rushing by, it made him feel alive, human. He often saw himself as not being human. This was due to the fact that he was a Sephiroth clone. At the age of sixteen through twenty, he had had his innards re-arranged to be the same as Sephiroth, giving him abilities far beyond that of a First class SOLDIER for example. He still was'nt on par with Sephiroth, but he could at least hold his own. It did'nt really matter anymore as Sephiroth, Jenova, and

Geostigma were all gone.

Deepground and the Tsviets had fallen about three months ago, and a much welcomed peace seemed to finally be falling over the world. Cloud turned Fenrir somewhat to the right to avoid crashing into a cliff-face, and zoomed onwards. He

had been hired to deliver a box of supplies to the item shop in Kalm. He made this run once a month and was well paid for it. Cloud passed out of the wastes and into the grasslands of Kalm, which was a small town about a dozen miles from his current position. He soon pulled Fenrir to a stop just inside town and hopped off the motorcycle. He wordlessly collected the package and walked calmly towards the item shop, ignoring the stares people gave him. He had been ignoring those stares

ever since he had saved the world from Sephiroth a year ago.

Kalm was made up of neatly organized and somewhat old-fashioned houses that went more for comfort than fancy looks. The houses were in a circular pattern in the center of the town, which held a bluish tone due to the blue cobblestone that

made up the ground in the town. The shops were elvated above the rest of Kalm. Cloud walked up the stairs and silently entered the shop. The inside of the store was comfortable and welcoming, but Cloud did'nt really care. There were shelves on either wall, covered in various objects that served various purposes. Directly in front of Cloud was the counter, which was predictably covered in more stuff. Behind the counter was the shopkeeper, Johny. Johny stood at 5.9, had a bushy

brown mustache, a white t-shirt, and blue jeans. He had no hair on the top of his head. "Hey, Cloud! Good to see you, though i wish you would have shown up five minutes ago. Still, i suppose i should'nt complain." Johny spoke in a rush. Cloud wordlessly put the box onto the counter, then held his hand out for payment. "Oh yes of course, you want your pay." Johny stopped talking for a moment as he counted out Cloud's pay. "Here." He said after a moment as he handed Cloud the money.

Cloud nodded as he took the money. "Oh, by the way. A man looking in his late twenties was in here the other day asking about you." Johny said almost as an afterthought. Cloud looked up with a curious look on his face. "Who?" He asked

simply. He was'nt really what you would call concerned, but he had been atacked enough times by seemingly random people in his life to be cautious. Johny rubbed his chin thoughtfuly.

"Not sure really, he had a hood up the whole time. He was wearing a tattered brown travelling cloak, and what looked almost looked like a SOLDIER uniform." Johny said looking towards the ceiling. Cloud frowned. A SOLDIER could'nt be as powerful as Cloud, but he could pose a threat to his freinds.

Cloud turned and exited the shop.

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The seventh heaven was Tifa's bar. In it you could order anything from food, a drink, or have a conversation with Tifa herself, which was the reason some people even came by. Tables were set around the room neatly, with four charis to a table.

Tifa stood behind the bar where she could dish out drinks and meals easily. On the other side of the bar were a row of stools for people to sit on while they enjoyed their drinks. Tifa enjoyed her work, mainly because she was her own boss. If she wanted a day off, then that was exactly what she got. Period.

Today Tifa was taking a day off to look after Denzel, who had come down with a mild case of the flu. Tifa stood at 6.0 and was well endowed. She also had brown wavy hair that went below her shoulders. She was currently dabbing a wet towel

on Denzel's forehead to try to lower his fever. Marlene sat on the other side of the bed holding Denzel's hand. Dezel was an orphan who Tifa had taken in. Marlene was Barret's daughter. Tifa looked after her because Barret was busy, out finding oil feilds. "Hm, his temperture is going down. Thats a good sign." Tifa muttered as she checked a thermomiter.

Marlene looked up happily at this news, but before she could say anything a knock came from the door downstairs. Tifa sighed and handed Marlene the towl and said "Keep at it until i get back, ok?" Marlene gave an affirmitive nod, and Tifa went downstairs and walked across the room towards the door. She opened the door to reveal a cloaked figure standing there. "Can i help you?" Tifa asked.

The man shifted slightly looking around the room behind Tifa. "Yes, i think you can help me. I am looking for someone by the name of Cloud Strife and i have been told you know him." He said with in a sort of a bland drawl with an underlaying tone that Tifa could'nt identify. She nodded to confirm his info. The man nodded slightly before asking "Could you tell me where he is now please. I have some very important buisness that i must discuss with him as soon as possible."

The man said in the same toneless drawl. Without a tone to go by Tifa had no idea as to his intentions.

Tifa considered whether or not she should tell this person. He could be an enmy of Cloud's. But then again if he was being honest, then she could be causing harm by being dishonest herself. Besides, it was'nt like this person could pose any

threat to Cloud. She decided to be truthful. "He went to Kalm earlier today, he should be coming back on the old Midgar highways, you could probably flag him down there." Tifa said. The man nodded and thanked her politely before turning and leaving. Tifa shut the door behind him, vaugely wondering what the man wanted to see Cloud about. She turned back towards the stairs, when the phone hanging on the wall behind the counter rang. Tifa sighed as she tiredly walked over

to the phone as it continued to ring. She quickly picked up the phone and asked "Tifa speaking, may i ask whos calling."

"Its me, Cloud, listen i'm on my way back from Kalm, and according to the shop keeper here a stranger was looking around for me. I think this person was in SOLDIER." Tifa gasped as she realized what that could mean. Thousands of

SOLDIERs had lost their jobs because of AVALANCHE, and everyone knew Cloud was the leader of AVALANCHE. That person could actually pose a threat to Cloud. Cloud must have noticed her alarm because he asked in a concerned tone "Tifa whats wrong?"

"I think that person was just here, and i told him right where to find you." Silence came from the other end. Then "Its ok, i'll handle it. See you later." With that Cloud hung up.

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Cloud quickly put his cell phone away and reached for the button on the control console that would open the sword compartements. He felt slightly annoyed at Tifa but pushed it out of his mind. It was'nt her fault, and this person might turn out

to not be a threat. He might just be a fan, or so Cloud hoped. Regardless he was suddenly paying a great deal more attention to his surroundings and resting his hand near the sword button. He hoped he would'nt need it, but it was'nt likely it was just someone out looking for his autograph. "Damn." Cloud muttered to himself.

A tingling sensation ran up and down the back of his neck, and he jammed his finger down on the sword button causing the compartements to spring open stopping the oncoming bullet from ahead. Cloud's hand flew down and grabbed the hilt of the

base sword of the Tsurugi, yanking it out and over his head to deflect another bullet. Cloud looked up and ahead. A man was standing on the top of one of the old street lamps firing a handgun at him. Cloud swerved back and forth quickly just barely dodging a small barrage of bullets. Notable things about this person were the brown cloak he wore, and the SOLDIER uniform undernath it, not to mention his brown hair that was spiked downwards and the twin katanas sheathed in the shape of an x on his back.

Cloud swung his sword up smacking aside another incoming bullet with relative ease. The figure was about a quarter of a mile down the road, and he had just tossed the now empty gun off to the side and was already reaching for his katanas.

Cloud pushed Fenrir to top speed hoping to get past his attacker before he could continue his offensive. The figure turned orange Mako eyes on him as he fully drew out his blades and leapt down towards Cloud, causing his cloak to flare out behind him dramaticly. Cloud braced himself, and swung his sword upwards with a feirce battle cry. The fight was on.


	4. Chapter 3

**FINAL FANTASY VII**

**SHADOW OF THE PAST**

Chapter Three

Sparks exploded outwards as two thin katans met one large broadsword in a head on clash. The owners of these swords did'nt seem to notice the fact that they were each holding back two-hundred or so pounds of pressure, which was being

produced by their opponents muscles.

Cloud had taken harder blows before, though he still had to strain his muscles slightly to keep things even. He could tell that his attacker was exerting the same amount of effort as he was, which was little comfort when one was being attacked

by a complete stranger for no appearent reason. Cloud mentally labled his attacker as SOLDIER. SOLDIER pulled his right sword back and lunged underneath Cloud's sword but Cloud swung Fenrir around forcing SOLDIER to redirect that energy to keeping his balance. Next Cloud took his left hand away from the handle bar and grabbed a second sword out of the still extended compartments, which he had not had the chance to close for obvious reasons. SOLDIER quickly directed his right sword to pin Cloud's second blade, while using his other sword to apply pressure to Cloud's first sword to keep Cloud from attacking with it. This of course meant that they had reached a standstill. "Who the hell are you!?"

Cloud asked as struggled to get his swords out of the pin.

"You can call me Victor." Victor said. Then he flipped over Cloud to stand on the back of Fenrir while turning his wrists behind him to keep Cloud from being able to use his swords. But he was also lined up to do something else that Cloud really

did not want to happen, at least not to him. Cloud ducked as Victor pulled his swords backwards, a move that would have decapitated Cloud if he had not ducked. However, before Cloud could pull his swords away from where they had been pinned Victor whirled around so he was facing forward and brought his swords down, once more trapping Cloud's swords.

"DAMN!!" Cloud said, the shifting wieght was steering Fenrir towards the cement rail on the side of the road, which was suspended over a very, very long drop straight down into the old slums. Cloud swung his body hard to the left turning Fenrir

back onto the highway, but doing little to move Victor who was still pinning Cloud's swords under his twin katanas.

"Whats the matter? Having a little trouble steering your motorcycle?" Victor asked in a mocking tone. Cloud grunted, then stopped trying to raise his swords upwards, and instead moved them sideways towards each other. They mixed into a

single blade with a slight click and swung around bringing about ninety to a hundred pounds of sharp metal at Victor's feet. Victor jumped up into the air over Cloud in a bluish glow, much like Loz had done during the Geostigma incedent. Victor moved back to normal speed swinging his swords at Cloud's head, but Cloud ducked low avoiding the hit then sprang back up swinging his sword for Victor as he started to fall back towards Fenrir.

"STAY OFF MY BIKE!!!!!!!!" Cloud roared as Victor swung his left sword down to meet the Tsurugi, the force of the clash sending him flying up into the air allowing Fenrir to go past him while he reached the apex of his trajectory of twenty feet, then fell back to the ground landing lightly on his feet.

Victor smirked after Fenrir as it zoomed away from him and said "No way you can get away that easily. Then he ran after Fenrir at top speed.

Cloud kept Fenrir at full speed in the hopes of losing Victor. He eyed the road rushing by, the gray concrete and the yellow stripes running down the middle to divide the lanes. One of his favourite places to ride Fenrir was on these old roads.

It was peaceful, except of course today, but it would seem the threat had passed for now. He took this time to ponder what had just happened. That person had been no normal SOLDIER. No normal SOLDIER was even close to being that strong or fast, other. "Man, i need a drink." Cloud muttered as he prepared to put his sword away. He decided not to when Victor ran up alongside Fenrir. Cloud stared in amazement as Victor held even with Fenrir, which was moving at about

two-hundred miles an hour. "Shit." Cloud muttered under his breath. Victor merely offered a confident smirk.

Cloud leaned towards Victor with a swing of his sword, but Victor dashed about thirty feet ahead of Fenrir while raising his left katana. He swung the weapon into Cloud's front tire flipping Fenrir, and Cloud, off the ground and nearly twenty feet into the air over the road. But Victor did not plan on keeping things that way, he jumped up at Cloud who was already taking his two blades apart. Cloud turned and blocked both of Victor's katanas with his own swords, but Victor's momentum

carried both of them over the side of the road.

Cloud pushed Victor's blades away then mixed his swords overhead and brought it down on Victor, who went into fast mode dashing flipping underneath Cloud and coming up behind him so they hurtled towards the ground back to back. Cloud's

eyes widened at Victor's speed and skill as they both fell at the exact same speed towards the Midgar slums. "Having fun?" Victor asked as they were about twenty feet off the ground. They had fallen from a dangerous height, and they were'nt

getting safer by falling.

Then Victor twisted around grabbing the back of Cloud's shirt and yanking straight up bringing Cloud's to a complete stop, before he fell to land lightly on the ground. He whirled around trying to find Victor, but he had vanished. No doubt he had used his speed to escape. Cloud narrowed his eyes while wondering how he was gonna get back to his motorcycle.

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Tifa paced back and forth with a distressed look on her face. She kept telling herself that Cloud could handle a SOLDIER, but for some reason she just could'nt convince herself. It was frustrating to know that Cloud could be in danger and it was

her fault. She hated it. Marlene had been watching over Denzel for her, for which Tifa was very grateful. Suddenly the phone rang and she almost seemed to fly at it. "Hello?" She asked quickly as she picked it up.

"Hey Tifa, i need a lift, big time. I can't get to my bike from here." Cloud said on the other side. Tifa frowned at that. Why would'nt Cloud be able to reach his motorcycle. As if sensing Tifa's confusion Cloud said "I was thrown off the road by my attacker, now please come get me."

"Sure." Tifa said, then frowned as Cloud hung up the phone. Tifa tried to figure out how Cloud could have fallen off the bridge and lived. Shhe knew he must've been thrown off by the stranger who had come by earlier, but how had Cloud avoided

death. Either way she went outside to her car. Whatever the case she figured she might as well go get him.

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Victor darted through the streets with a quick and agile ease, his plan was going perfectly. His katanas rested on his back in an x, as was normal. His gun was lost, there was no way he could find it and even if he did it would likely be broken.

A small loss, and not one he really cared about. He frowned however as he recalled the events of the battle. Cloud had been a far more powerful adversarry than he had been expecting. Still, he had not been powerful enough, if not for Victor's plan he would already be dead. Right now he was racing towards seventh heaven at about two-hundred and thirteen miles per hour. On his feet.

It came into veiw as he stopped across the dull grey street. Edge was a very dull grey looking city. The plan was rather simple in reality, get Tifa out of the bar by stranding Cloud somewhere, then move in and catch the prize. He shot across the street and through the door of the bar before anyone had a chance to realize he had ever been there. Seconds later a scream came from the upstairs, and a blur shot out of the bar and off into the setting sun.

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A shadow whisped through the shadows quickly darting, tracking its prey. Vincent Valentine had incredible senses, and despite being deep in the bowls of Midgar he still sensed the growing danger. He was about six feet tall with raven black

hair and red eyes that seemed to glow. In his hand was the three barraled pistol known as Cerberus. He showed no suprise when he found his prey in an abondoned wearhouse. Victor, he was called. At least that what Vincent had been led to beleive. Next to Victor was a bundle, a child by the look of it, but who it was Vincent could not be sure.

Vincent took aim for Victor's head, carefully. One shot was all it would take. It would eliminate this threat, liberate whoever was being held captive, and would make Vincent feel better. He took the shot. The three bullets flew towards Victor's head. He turned to face them, still amazed at how slow bullets seemed to him, then reached up grabbing each bullet out of the air and placing them on the ground next to him, one at a time. He then turned to where a stunned Vincent stood

and said "I am rather dissapointed Vincent Valentine, i thought you were an un-rivaled marksman. Guess i was wrong."

Five gunshots went off in about half a second, the bullets having been aimed into a spray around Victor. Fifteen bullets, surely Victor could not stop them all. But he sure could dodge them, he moved to the side and watched with a small smile

as Vincent was already half-way through reloading his gun. Victor jumped upwards toward Vincent who took aim. BANG! Vincent waited until the absolute last second, and the bullets tore right through Victor's head. The corpse fell to the floor with a dull thud. "Crime does'nt pay." Vincent said as he holstered his gun and jumped down. The bundle was thrashing about in a desperate attempt to free itself. Vincent walked over to free the child he knew was in there, when he suddenly became aware of a tingle on the back of his neck, warning him of danger.

He whirled to find a completely unharmed Victor standing there. "Fool, have'nt you learned not to assume your enemy is dead, i thought you would have learned that by now." Before Vincent could raise his gun, Victor drove his palm into

Vincent's chest throwing the red caped man hurtling through the air and crashing out a window. Vincent ignored the pain in his chest and flipped himself back through the window to find an empty building.

The doors on the far end of the building were swinging on there hinges. Vincent narrowed his eyes. It was time to resume the hunt.

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Cloud sat with his arms folded in the passanger side of Tifa's sleek silver car. He said nothing and hoped Tifa did'nt have anything to say either. He had already told her all about the fight, or at least the bits she had asked about. Now he was trying

to figure out how anyone could be so blazing fast. They had retreived Fenrir which was badly damaged. It now rested on top the car. Cloud barely noticed his cell ringing, and almost did'nt anwser it, but he did. "Cloud here." He said in a distracted tone.

"Cloud, i need you in the tunnels under the old sector seven." Came Vincent's voice. Cloud blinked.

"Why?" Cloud asked.

"Someone has kidnapped either Marlene or Denzel, i'm not sure which. I'm giving chase but he's to much for me to handle alone. He took a shot point blank in the head from Cerberus and got back up." Cloud frowned in worry.

"See you later Tifa." He said, then jumped out his open window and over the edge of the road, sailing down towards sector seven.


	5. Chapter 4

**FINAL FANTASY VII**

**SHADOW OF THE PAST**

AN: I would like to apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I am having a rough time with my imagination right now, but i can promise that the next chapter will be longer. In the meantime please reveiw.**  
**

Chapter Four

Victor knew that Vincent was tracking him, he did'nt really care, but he knew. He did'nt concider Vincent to be a major threat though he could certainly be troublesome when he wanted to be. He paused in his running for a few seconds, then

off again as a gunshot rang out and the ground at his feet exploded. "Persistent fool are'nt you?" Victor asked under his breath as he ran.

Vincent dashed from ledge to ledge growing more and more infuriated by the way Victor was toying with him. He would go a mile or so ahead, let Vincent get there, then repeat. Vincent hoped Cloud would'nt take to much longer in getting there. He was'nt going to stay patient much longer.

Sector seven slums were a mass of twisted tunnels of horribly bent steel, and deep pits in the earth filled with Mako energy. Not something you wanted to fall into. They had once been one of the more acceptable slums to live in, until President

Shinra ordered his turks to drop the sector seven plate in the hopes of destroying AVALANCHE. The result of that horrible day were the tunnels that Vincent was no dashing through. He breifly considered letting Chaos take control, but dismissed that thought. It would be a reckless thing, and dangerous. He may have been able to control Chaos now, but he did'nt want to take any risks that he did'nt have to. He darted from shadow to shadow, little more than a shadow himself.

Vincent carefuly raised his gun as he saw Victor waiting for him. He fired quickly, and Victor dashed off deeper into the twisted tunnels.

The chase continued.

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Tifa parked her car outside the seventh heaven, grumbling to herself about how Cloud never told her what was going on. This was'nt really true, he had been the one who had called her up to tell her about deepground while she had been visiting

Barret in Corel.

"Damn spiky headed jerk, never informs me! Just jumps out of the car after he called me to come and get him!" Tifa ranted as she made her way to the front door. She was very absorbed in her frustration, but not so absorbed that she could'nt

notice that the door was ajar. She paused and looked at it curiously, trying to remember if she had closed it. She thought she had, but here it was open for the world to see. "Thats odd. I'm normally very careful about these things." Tifa muttered walking inside. The inside was the same as always, except for the note on the counter. Tifa glanced around quickly for intruders, knowing full well that there had been no note when she had left. Seeing nothing out of place she moved

to the counter and read the note, becoming steadily paler as she did.

It read as follows:

_Dear Tifa,_

_I regret to inform you that i have taken both of the children living with you, whether you will see them again or not depends very greatly on what you do next. First, if i find i am being pursued i will kill one of the children. Second, you have until _

_tomorrow to bring me all the files left over in Hojo's lab in the old Shin-ra building. Lastly, tell no one what has happened, or i will kill one of the children._

_Signed:Victor Scathe_

For a moment she just stood there dumbstruck, then dashed for her phone as she realized why Cloud had jumped from the car. Someone must have called him about what was going on, and he had rushed off to save the day. he quickly dialed

Cloud's cell, hoping to god she was'nt to late.

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Cloud moved quickly along the various tunels and underground caverns of these old slums, searching for Vincent, or Victor. He did'nt care which he found first, though he would admit he would feel more confident with Vincent at his side. Still,

beggers can't be choosers. His cell phone suddenly started ringing and he cursed himself for not turning its ring function off. He glanced around, and after a moment decided he had not been detected.

"Hello?" He asked in a grumpy tone.

"Cloud! Do'nt chase the kidnapper, he'll kill the kids if you do!" Tifa's voice shot over the line. Cloud paused as he heard smething clatter to the side. He reached back and drew out his sword with his right hand, and with a flick of the wrist it snapped into battle mode.

"How do you know?" Cloud asked, watching the shadows so intently one might think he was searching for the meaning of life within it.

"He left a note. He will kill them if he thinks i've sent anyone after him." Tifa replied in a worried tone.

A peice of scrap fell to the ground behind Cloud causing him to whirl about, sword at the ready. A low chuckle came from the left. Cloud turned towards it, and frowned as he saw nothing. "Tifa, i'm gonna have to call you back." Cloud said, then

snapped his phone shut and moved forwards into another tunnel.

"So, you think you can stop me do you?!" Came a yell from ahead. Cloud frowned as he moved towards the voice.

"Why do'nt you just come out, it will make this a lot easier." Cloud said as looked around.

A laugh from the right, Cloud turned towards it and was somewhat suprised to see Victor just standing there. "So, you want to fight? Did'nt you figure ot how outclased you are from the last fight?" Victor asked mockingly.

"Shut up." Cloud said raising his sword.

Victor laughed, then said "I do'nt have time to deal with you right now, but maybe later. Until then!!" Then Victor dashed off leaving a pissed off Cloud standing there.


	6. Chapter 5

**FINAL FANTASY VII**

**SHADOW OF THE PAST**

Chapter Five

If there was one thing Victor liked to do, it was draw out a fight as long as possible. He hadn't been allowed to do such in SOLDIER because that gave the enmy time to recover, someting the commanders didn't like happening. But now he could

mess around as long as he wanted, he could have finished both Cloud and Vincent off by now, but instead he had just toyed around with them. To him this was a great way to pass the time until he thought Tifa had gotten hold of Hojo's files. Still, Victor knew he should try to end this before Cloud and Vincent could meet up, he could take them one on one, but if they ganged up on him he might be in trouble. He dashed from ledge to ledge through the twsting hallways until Vincent

came into veiw. Victor paused holding perfectly still watching Vincent who came to a sudden stop.

"I know your there." Vincent declared as he aimed Cerberus at Victor.

Victor stood tall and said "Good for you, but what makes you think shooting at me again will do any good, haven't i made it clear that your bullets just aren't fast enough to hit me?" Vincent growled at the mockery in his foes voice, but he lowered his weapon, fully aware that Victor was right. The gun would do no good. "Thought so, you may be boring but at least your smart." Victor taunted.

Vincent did not speak, but leapt up with a powerful jab of his claw catching Victor off gaurd and sending him flying into the cave wall, hard. In a flash Cerberus came up and a loud boom echoed through the caverns sending three bullets through

Victor's chest and he slumped back.

Vincent turned to leave after a moment of careful observation, but almost the second his back was turned Victor's foot slammed into his back flinging him into the far wall hard enough to leave a sizable dent. "I must admit i am impressed, i did

not think anyone could hit me unless i let them, i was wrong it would seem." Victor said in open admiration. Vincent stood slowly. He was confsed, one moment Victor was mocking and taunting him, the next he was openly praising Vincent. He was un unstable individual, that much was now for sure.

"As much as iw wish i could continue to test your abilities, i must go see how Cloud is doing, maybe roughhimup a bit, see you later." Victor said in a drawl, then he seemed to vanish before Vincent's eyes, but the gunman knew that Victor

was just moving to fast to see. He sniffed the air, then moved in the direction he know knew Victor had gone in.

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Tifa's car came to a stop in front of the old Shrin-ra building. Tifa had to admit a certain fear of the place still lingered in her mind, a fact she was not at all proud of. She stepped out of the car and approached the buildig slowly, but remembering

her time limit, she quikened the pace.

The inside of the building was a horrid mess, large pillars lay strewn about blocking stair cases, while the elevators looked as if something had ripped them up. She quickly took a running leap and jumped off the wall in order to get past the

rubble on the staircase. Then she moved as quickly as she could for the next set of stairs.

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Cloud groaned as he walked slowly, cautiously, through the tunnels. This was the last thing he had wanted to be doing today, and worse he had yet to meet up with Vincent which meant he was vulnerable. He kept his sword out, fully aware that

he couldn't afford to take the time to draw it out if Victor launched a sudden attack.

"I think i have time to deal with you now." Came Victor's voice from behind.

"Finally decided to show yourself?" Cloud asked as he whirled around.

"No, i just decided to mess with you for a bit to give Vincent some time to get back on his feet." Victor said smirking.

A frown crossed Cloud's face, so Victor was only toying with them. "It's time to end this." Cloud declared coldly as he raised his sword for battle.

"I agree." Victor said as he drew his twin katana's. Cloud brought his blade over his shoulder sending a blade beam right at Victor who moved behind Cloud and swung at his head. Instinct was the only thing that allowed Cloud to duck in time before he came around with a blindingly fast slash, but Victor blocked it before lunging with his other blade catching Cloud on his upper right arm, Cloud's sword arm. Cloud quickly backed away but Victor moved behind him and kicked him

into the ground. "From the look of things, i'd say this will be over quickly." Victor taunted..

A loud gunshot rang out through the tunels and Victor whirled batting the individual bullets back at their source, which flipped high through the air and landed with another shot. Vincent had joined the battle.

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Tifa moved quickly ascending one flight of stairs right after another, but she still had a ways to go, and then she paused breifly. he wasn't sure how, but she could sense that Cloud was fighting for his very life. She picked up the pace.

But as she moved a pack of wolf like creatures moved in front of her. She came to a quick stop and sank into a fighting stance quickly, this was not going to be a good day.

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AN:Hey, i'm finally updating. I decided to start with a shorter chapter until i get back into it, the next one will be longer. In the meantime i hope you all have enjoyed this so far, remember to reveiw and tell me what you think. Thank!


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